Over the years it has become increasingly clear that major advances to society and knowledge across and within particular disciplines are often enabled by purposeful, or even chance, juxtaposition of ideas, heuristics, and paradigms from multiple fields. It is with no small degree of satisfaction that I find myself president of an institute that is dedicated to the advancement of interdisciplinary, as well as disciplinary, intellectual research and educational endeavors. I continue to believe strongly that the focus on interdisciplinary activities is both a strength and an opportunity for the Institute. Perhaps you will remember an earlier President's Letter that identified the advancement of interdisciplinary initiatives as one of five priorities within this year's Institute objectives. I look forward to the progress and accomplishments in this regard.

While being such an important part of the heritage of the Institute, the notion of "interdisciplinary approach" is not widely documented or understood. In fact, I would argue that it is more often understood as a fortuitous outcome, as opposed to a well-planned purposeful prospective strategy. While interdisciplinary processes have contributed many great ideas, surprisingly, you will not find the topic word "interdisciplinary" in the Dictionary of the History of Ideas or in the recent book Key Ideas in Human Thought. Yet the history of intellectual thought is replete with instances where the juxtaposition of knowledge across disciplines has enabled unprecedented invention and advancement; and prescriptive literature for innovation, creativity, and learning often hale the juxtaposition of alternative perspectives and paradigms.

An interdisciplinary approach in the context of academic activity is, in its most simplistic sense, the bringing together of two or more disciplines in research and educational initiatives. Similarly, interdisciplinary approaches within the context of organizational decision making involves the bringing together of two or more functional perspectives in the decision-making process.

The interdisciplinary focus has been the hallmark of the Institute since its inception. Our history demonstrates a long-standing emphasis on the interdisciplinary context of decision making. Within this setting the Decision Sciences was envisioned as a union of quantitative and behavioral approaches to managerial decision making encompassing all of the functional areas of business.

Several years ago the Institute's Goal's Development Committee described "The Decision Sciences Institute as an interdisciplinary association of professionals committed to the understanding and improvement of decision making in organizations, and to the development of scholars-teachers in the decision sciences." Toward this end the Institute provides an international forum for the exchange of research in the decision sciences across disciplines, seeks to promote and integrate theoretical and applied research, and is an outlet for the publication and dissemination of current thinking in the decision sciences.

The Institute draws its membership from educators, researchers, managers, students, consultants, and others with an interest in organizational decision making. Member specialty areas include: functional areas such as management information systems, finance, marketing, management, accounting, operations management, and decision support processes; institutional areas such as health care, public administration and protection, water and land resource management, and higher education; methodological areas such as management science, operations research, quantitative analysis, and statistics; and issues oriented areas such as education, teaching, current technology and international business...to say the least, a rich opportunity for synergistic interdisciplinary activity.

As enunciated in our marketing strategy, the Institute seeks to be the "one organization where specialists in diverse areas (academics and practitioners) can come together for the study of decision making and decision systems which cut across functional areas."

I know of no other Institute or professional organization that better hallmarks or practices the essence of interdisciplinary perspective.

This emphasis has resulted in a number of specific strategies within our publications and programs: (1) a journal of highest quality dedicated to interdisciplinary decision sciences research and writing; (2) flexibility in our meeting designs that encourage opportunities for interdisciplinary developments; (3) the continued encouragement of sessions within the separate disciplinary tracks that focus on the interdisciplinary aspects of decisions issues; (4) the planning of topical issue tracks that focus on issues that can benefit from the attention of our multi-disciplinary decision expertise; and (5) the encouragement of a home for new and evolving interest areas.

The 1995 Annual Meeting program will provide many interdisciplinary opportunities which will bring together people from various functional areas and responsibilities. For example, on Sunday, November 19, we will offer a number of programs: (1) a new ``Conference Within a Conference'' program entitled "MBA ProgramsūCurriculum in Transition" with continued related sessions within the Annual Meeting program, (2) the Doctoral Student Consortium, (3) the New Faculty Development Consortium, (4) a Professional Development Program, and (5) an Academic Administration program.

Throughout the Annual Meeting program on Monday through Wednesday, November 20-22, there are a number of paper presentation sessions, invited sessions given by leading scholars, workshops, tutorials, panel discussions, the Instructional Innovation Award session, and the case writers' workshops. All of these offerings are interdisciplinary in nature. Ernie Houck (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), the 1995 program chair, has done an excellent job of nurturing program events that build upon excellence in the interdisciplinary area. Be sure to take the opportunity to look over the preliminary program and plan for your participation.

Under Lori Franz's leadership, next year's 1996 Annual Meeting in Orlando promises even more emphasis on interdisciplinary initiatives. Lori (University of Missouri - Columbia) plans to organize the conference with a matrix design where each paper will be classified as to functional area(s) and interdisciplinary theme(s). Watch for the upcoming call for papers for the 1996 Annual Meeting, and plan to participate and get more involved.

We need to continue to nurture the interdisciplinary nature of the Institute. It is clearly a source of distinction and strength. In keeping with this priority, I have asked all committees of the Institute to explore ways to expand interdisciplinary initiatives within their areas of responsibility.